Grip of the Gods, Late Cambrian, Of Earth, The Juggs, Thomas Simon (VORTEX Record Release)

"Hold Me Tight" (DJ Dance Party)

Grip of the Gods

Grip of the Gods is a modern-alt/rock/indie rock power-trio hailing from Philadelphia, PA, US. The band formed loosely around late 2009-early 2010, initially under the working name Walking in Monologues. As the utmost priority of the band was creating a unique style and brand of rock, nearly the entire first year of the project was devoted to this effort (though a handful of live performances took place in various locations). Through the course of this process and moving toward 2011, Grip of the Gods released two "rough" EPs: a 3-track entitled Walking in Monologues and a 5-track entitled Destination of Man. As a result of these releases, 2011-2012 saw a huge increase in live performances, with shows in many East Coast cities, and a handful of short national tours. During this time, Grip of the Gods further solidified their sound, and in June 2012 finally headed into a high-quality studio (Forge Recording Studios, Oreland, PA) to create what they consider to be their first professional release; a 6-track EP titled Take (produced by Steven LaFashia and mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound, NYC), which plays much more like an album than an EP, and capitalizes on the creative niche that they've established.

Grip of the Gods is well underway with material for their first full-length, and hope to begin recording prior to Fall of this year. Meanwhile, they are currently lining up national tour dates for summer 2013 to capitalize on their latest release, Take, which has already been very well-received by existing fans and has served immensely in reaching a much larger audience. 2013 is sure to be a massive year for this promising, devoted rock-trio.

Late Cambrian

The members of Late Cambrian come together with a shared love of smart, melodic songwriting. Late Cambrian is saturated guitar pop/rock with lyrics that broach existential dread, relationship truths and the cult of celebrity, all topics met with optimism in the face of nihilism...

If that sounds heavy, it doesn't come across that way in the deceptively simple song structures that favor melody and simplicity but filter through an original songwriting voice.

Oh, and they rock...

Of Earth

"Of Earth" is a multimedia communication utilizing compositions of sight and sound being performed simultaneously. In the lab: ROB DE LUCA makes sounds by using his diaphragm to push air over his larynx. His vocal chords open and close in a delicate or violent fashion, producing somewhat unnerving, but occasionally pleasant sounds. He simultaneously produces deeper noises from an apparatus made of wood and four long wrapped wires, which he attacks with his fingers or a plectrum. This apparatus is fitted with magnets coiled with hair thin copper wire, creating an electromagnetic field. This field picks up the vibrations made by Mr. De Luca's unorthodox attacking and delivers them through a cord to an electrical amplifier. Despite being labeled a heretic by critics, his peculiar ritual has now (d)evolved into an underground movement, which has been labeled "Staring At Sound".

PAUL CASANOVA plays a similar wood contraption that has six thin metal wires. He attacks this exclusively with a plectrum and produces a much wider, and far more interesting array of sounds. His contraption also transmits vibrations to an electrical amplifier. This amplifier is connected to paper cones fitted with magnets that somehow transform electric energy into sonic energy. We're not quite sure how he does it either, but it causes Professor Casanova to jump around uncontrollably. This often leaves us wondering if something is going drastically right, or drastically wrong.

Never one to be outdone, RIK DE LUCA uses absolutely no electrical energy to create his aural experiment. Armed only with the energy of sheer human force, Dr. De Luca beats on curved tubes of wood or plastic producing tones of different pitches. By beating on these with thin pieces of wood, he can alter and mix the rhythms and dynamics of the tones. He intersperses this frenzy with similar beatings of flat metal spheres to produce very high frequencies that upset all canines and mothers within 167 square feet.

Although most of his distinguished colleagues can't pronounce his name correctly, MATTHEW BARAM is very respected among his peers. With all their combined experience in studies of art, acoustics, and physics, they can't quite comprehend his choice of expression. Professor Baram creates sounds from no vibrations whatsoever! He moves his fingers, sometimes amazingly quickly, over the white and black pieces of a plastic and metal computer machine. Each of these pieces coincide with a particular pitch that is created within the apparatus. It's further outfitted with lots of fancy push/pull knobs and levers that can instantly change all aspects of the sound's dimensions. We attempted disassembling this machine to try and understand it, but Prof. Baram must have sensed this, and has since kept it locked and secure.

When all these processes coincide, "Of Earth" is truly a marvel of art and science.

The Juggs

The Juggs are a psychedelic blues band hailing from Brooklyn, NY. The 2010 release The African Queen is there debut EP. The group features singer/songwriter Kareem Big Bear Bunton on vocals and guitar, George De Voe(Guitar), Nick Gonzales(Drums), and Charles Becker (Bass). Formed by Mr.Bunton in 2006, the band is often described as Chicago blues with a touch of stoner rock much inspired by Muddy Waters Electric Mud and early ZZtop. The band is currently active and touring.

Thomas Simon (VORTEX Record Release)

Atmospheric dark sound collages will start up this all night rock experience.

"In just under an hour onstage he managed to evoke Bauhaus, Pink Floyd, the Church, My Bloody Valentine and Philip Glass, sometimes within seconds of each other. It’s rare that a solo performer can be this interesting to watch."
- NY Music Daily